Ember
by Kirihana
Summary: Post war. The observations of a servant in the Fire Nation palace. Currently a oneshot, may extend upon request.


Kirihana here, Misty for short (because Kirihana means 'mist-flower'). This is my first Avatar fic, but I'm not exactly new to this section of the site. You may have seen my reviews floating semi-randomly about. Anywho, this is just an idea that's been stuck in my head for a while, so I wrote it out. It's a one-shot, but I might extend it into a chaptered fic if anyone wants me to. That's about it, so…

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Ember**

My name… my name is Ember, but in the grand scheme of the universe, my name is unimportant. I am a servant to the royal house of the Fire Nation. As such, I am in the ideal position to be something of an invisible observer. That is mostly what I do. I observe. This diary provides the perfect place for me to record my observations and musings, and so I shall do.

It is my duty to take tea to the Fire Lord and Lady every afternoon. The Lady is with child, and the Fire Lord becomes more and more anxious as her time grows closer. The Lady finds his concern amusing. Less amusing to her is the overprotective concern of her brother, who seems to have become a permanent visitor. At least the Avatar, who has tea with the royal couple frequently, knows when to go home. Also here as a guest is Lady Toph Bei Fong, whose interactions with the Fire Lady's brother and the Avatar both provide endless entertainment for most of the court. The court is easily amused, since they are often privy to the Fire Lord's loud insistences that his brother-in-law is annoying and should go home to the Southern Water Tribe. This is inevitably followed by said brother-in-law hiding behind his fiancé, a warrior of Kyoshi. She and Lady Toph squabble on occasion as well, making for a very interesting household. The Avatar attempts to serve as mediator for any fighting that occurs, but he cannot be everywhere at once. For his sake I hope that he realizes this and gives up soon. The Fire Lady long ago declared that everyone would have to settle their differences on their own and she would not become involved. I think it was a wise choice.

I find that of all the highly-looked upon people who currently fill the palace, I think I prefer Lady Toph and the Avatar. They are the least demanding, though the Fire Lady's demands are more requests and have to do with her condition, not her personality. The Fire Lord takes little notice of his servants, and the Fire Lady's brother is not used to servants. He can be somewhat rude. Lady Toph is extremely independent. As soon as she arrived she told the servants assigned to her room that she would not need their assistance. She is not often required to be in the royal couple's presence, so she spends much of her time in the immaculate palace gardens. I have noticed that she walks barefoot, even in the rain. She mentioned once that she likes the feel of mud between her toes. When she wants company, Lady Toph often seeks out the Avatar. The Avatar takes his time to make sure that everyone he comes in contact with is happy and is very careful not to offend anyone. From the stories the Fire Lady has told, he has grown up quite a bit since the war.

All of our guests are here for the celebration of the seventh anniversary of the end of the long War of the Nations. It takes place over three days. The first day is a solemn one of mourning and remembrance. The Fire Lord takes particular care in honoring his uncle, who was lost shortly after Ba Sing Se was seized by the Fire Lord's sister Azula. She was supposedly killed in a round of Agni Kai, though against whom and when no one will say. The war ended before I began working at the palace, so I never met either of them. The second and third days make for the biggest festivals of the year in the entire world. Every nation celebrates it in their own way. We have an enormous fair, with games and vendors of all kinds. In previous years there were bending performances from the Fire Lord and Lady, Lady Toph, and the Avatar, but this year it is likely that the Avatar will perform both air and water bending, as the Fire Lady is in no condition to take her usual role. I'm sure he will do a good job, as she was the one who taught him water bending, but there is something about the performance of a female water bender that can't be topped. There are rumors that the Fire Lord and the Avatar will give their performances in the form of a sparring match, but I doubt it will happen. The Fire Lady is likely to discourage such a performance due to its potential danger. Of course they wouldn't really hurt each other, but accidents do happen. At this time, the Fire Lady prefers to keep her husband and dear friend safe.

I remember the day that Fire Lord Zuko came home with Katara of the Southern Water Tribe and told the court that he had married her. They were outraged, of course. Not only had their young Fire Lord married a girl from the Water Tribe, but none of them had been invited. The Fire Lord was quickly becoming frustrated by the whispers (because no one dares to outright object to the Fire Lord's actions), but then the new Fire Lady giggled. Her husband looked at her and she clapped her hand over her mouth, and his expression softened. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Those who saw that knew the marriage was a going to be good thing for the uptight Fire Lord.

I find myself wondering if the child to be born will be a fire bender or a water bender, or even a bender at all. Regardless, he or she will have marvelous teachers. From what I hear of the previous regimes, the palace of the Fire Nation is filled with much more love than it used to be.

I must return to my duties. My observations are, for the moment, complete.

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And that's about it. Some of you may be upset by the mention of Iroh being dead… get over it. Others may cheer at Azula's fate… it isn't that I don't like her, but given her personality, if there was going to be peace, she would have to be gone. Hurray for Zutara! Oh, and I don't know if Toph would be called "Lady", but it seemed appropriate. Review please, especially if you liked it or if you want to see more! Because if you don't ask for more, you won't get it.


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